Citi Rewards+ Card Review: Purchase Round-Ups and 10% Back on Redemptions

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Citi Rewards+® Card

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• Our Rating 4.0/5 How our ratings work
• APR17.99% - 27.99% (Variable)
• Annual Fee$0
• Sign Up Bonus 20,000Citi ThankYou® Points More Info

  Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening; redeemable for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com Dollar Equivalent: $360 (20,000 Citi ThankYou® Points * 0.018 base)

The Citi Rewards+ Card, from our partner Citi, rounds up all purchases to the nearest 10 ThankYou Points. For example, if you bought a cup of coffee for $2, you’d earn 10 ThankYou Points. Similarly, if a burger and fries cost $15, you’d earn 20 ThankYou Points. So if you make a lot of small purchases, like a morning cup of coffee, this could be the card for you.

Good Rewards Card for Small Purchases

Citi Rewards+^® Card, from our partner Citi, is a no annual fee cash-back rewards credit card. The card includes unique features, including:

• A round-up to the next 10 points on any purchase. Purchases are rounded to the nearest 10 points. So if you purchase a $3 snack, you’ll earn 10 points instead of four.
• 10% points-back benefit on redemptions. Cardholder receive 10% points back on their first 100,000 ThanYou Points redeemed each year.

These can supercharge your earnings on low-cost purchases and reward you for taking advantage of your Citi ThankYou^® Points. Keep reading for a more in-depth look at the Citi Rewards+ Card and how you can maximize your value when signing up.

Those who find value in redeeming points for gift cards or who can take advantage of Citi's travel transfer partners may find the Citi Rewards+ Card appealing. Additionally, if you use your credit card sparingly or make frequent small purchases, this card's unique rounding-up feature might also be a benefit.

Yet, for households looking for a no-annual-fee card that earns high rates of actual cash back, the market may offer more worthwhile products.

Sign-Up Bonus

Before getting into the details of earning and redeeming points, let’s look at the initial sign-up bonus you can earn after a new account opening. With no annual fee, the new cardmember sign-up bonus is like free money for getting and using the Citi Rewards+ Card.

New cardholders can earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 in the first three months of the account opening date for a limited time. That’s about $500 per month in spending, or about $125 per week. For many households, gas and groceries alone could earn you the sign-up bonus.

According to our analysis, Citi points are worth 1.8 cents each, which makes the 20,000 point bonus worth about $360.

You can also redeem for gift cards, statement credits or use them to shop online at Amazon or Best Buy. However, you’ll get about $200 in value from your points, much less than redeeming for travel, when redeeming with one of these methods.

More on Citi Rewards+ Card redemption options are below.

Rewards Rate

2X Points per Dollar at Supermarkets and Gas Stations

When shopping with the Citi Rewards+ Card, you’ll earn 2x points per dollar spent at supermarkets and gas stations up to $6,000 in annual purchases. That means you can earn up to 12,000 points per year from these bonus category purchases. Any other purchases beyond $6,000 earn the card’s regular rewards rate of 1x point per dollar.

While the 2x rewards rate for gas and grocery store purchases is not extremely exciting, mainly due to the $6,000 annual limit, other features help you earn more points faster, even outside the two main bonus categories.

The Citi Rewards+ Card Round-up Feature

Perhaps the best benefit of this card is a round-up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase. If you run into a convenience store and spend a dollar, you’ll get 10 points. If you buy a $2 coffee, you’ll earn 10 points. If you spend $11.99 on lunch, you’ll earn 20 points. If you spend $87, you would earn 90 points. And so on.

The round-up benefit is most valuable on small purchases where you would have only earned a small number of points. For example, earning 10 points for a $2 purchase is the same as 5x rewards. The math doesn’t work quite as favorably on larger purchases, but those round-up points will add up regardless if you use the card regularly.

10% of Points Back on Redemption

You’ll also get 10% of your points back on redemptions up to 100,000 points per year. If you were to redeem the full 100,000 points per year, you’d get an extra 10,000 bonus points annually. It’s in your best interest to avoid redeeming more than 100,000 points per year if you want to maximize your value from this benefit.

Because of the 10% back, you effectively earn 2.2x rewards on eligible supermarket and gas station purchases and 1.1x everywhere else. That’s a nice little bump up that can help you earn extra reward flights, hotels and other rewards.

Annual Fee

Citi Rewards+ Card doesn’t require an annual fee. Many comparable travel rewards cards require annual fees of up to around $100 per year, which could make the Citi Rewards+ Card an excellent deal for your spending needs.

In fact, you can use the credit card almost completely for free (with the exception of balance transfer fees), without paying any fees or interest charges, as long as you pay off the card balance in full every month and avoid certain fee-bearing activities.

For example, there's a foreign transaction fee when you use the credit card outside of the United States. You won't pay a foreign transaction fee if you only use the card at home and traveling around the U.S.

It’s best to avoid those fees where you can, but most people won’t encounter them frequently, if ever, with typical spending activity and responsible credit card use.

Redeeming Rewards

The best way to redeem rewards for maximum value is for travel, though that’s not your only option.

Here’s a detailed look at getting the best results from your ThankYou rewards points and a complete look at all potential redemptions.

• Transfer to travel partners: In many cases, the best deal for Citi ThankYou points is transferring to a partner airline rewards program. In most cases, one Citi point is worth one frequent flyer point. Check the table below for a full list of airline partners. This method can get you more than one cent per point if you book well.
• Travel: Citi cardholders can book flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises and travel experiences with a value of one cent per point.
• Gift cards: Citi lists a large number of gift cards for major chains across the United States. You can redeem points for gift cards at a value of one cent per point.
• Statement credit: If you redeem for a statement credit, your points will lower your current credit card account balance. However, you get just 0.5 cents per point, so you’re better of with other redemptions. With other cards that require an annual fee, points are worth one cent each for this type of redemption.
• Point sharing: If you have a friend or family member who also uses a Citi ThankYou credit card, you can transfer points between accounts. This lets you share or pool your points together for better redemptions.
• Charitable contributions: If you’re feeling charitable, you can donate points to one of Citi’s eight nonprofit partners, including the American Red Cross, Susan G. Komen Foundation and UNICEF.
• Mortgage or loan payment: If you have a mortgage or student loan, you can redeem points for a payment of up to $1,000 toward your payoff. This redemption requires a phone call to the Citi ThankYou Service Center. This redemption works for loans held by Citi and other lenders.
• Shop with partners: Points are redeemable with a list of shopping partners, including Amazon.com, PayPal, Best Buy, 1-800 Flowers, BP, Amoco, and Shell. Amazon and PayPal redeem a 0.8 cents per point, making shopping a lower-value redemption that most people are better off skipping.

Citi Airline Transfer Partners

The best way to redeem points for anyone who enjoys travel is likely a transfer to a partner airline. Transferring to airlines can easily get you more than one cent per point.

The airline transfer partner options help inform our value of 1.8 cents per point for Citi ThankYou points.

Also, remember that these airlines may be a part of one of the major airline alliances: Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. For example, Avianca LifeMiles are good for booking flights on United Airlines and Lufthansa, thanks to their membership in the Star Alliance. Savvy miles and points enthusiasts keep track of partners and deals, so they get the best value for every point.

Citi Rewards+ Card isn’t the only credit card that earns Citi ThankYou rewards. Consider these alternatives if you’re into the ThankYou program but don’t want the Rewards+ card.

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

The premium Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, from our partner Citi, is an upgrade from the Rewards+ card. With this card, you can earn 3x points per dollar at restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, airlines and hotels with no limit and 1x everywhere else. The card currently offers a limited-time 75,000-point bonus after spending $4,000 in the first three months. The card charges a $95 annual fee.

Citi Custom Cash Card

Citi Custom Cash^® Card is another no annual fee credit card. This card features cash back rewards in the form of ThankYou points. You’ll earn 5 points per dollar in the eligible category where you spend most each month up to $500 per statement cycle and 1x point per dollar on all other purchases. While the name includes the word “cash,” you can still redeem for travel and other ThankYou rewards options.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• How does Citi's roundup feature work?

  The Citi Rewards+ rounds up every purchase to the nearest 10 points. So if you buy a cup of coffee for $3, you’ll get 10 points instead of three. This roundup feature allows cardholders who make frequent small purchases to maximize rewards for their daily spending.

• Who is the Citi Rewards+ Card best for?

  The Citi Rewards+  Card may be ideal for people who want to earn cash-back rewards for everyday spending, but do not want to pay an annual fee. It's also a strong option for people who make frequent small purchases, since this credit card rounds each purchase to the nearest 10 points — even buying a $0.75 candy bar will earn you 10 points.

• How many Citi Cards can you get?

  While Citi does not place restrictions on how many credit cards you can carry, it does limit the number of cards you can apply for in a given time. According to Citi's terms and conditions, you may only apply for one Citi card in an 8-day period with no more than two applications every 65 days.

• What’s the best way to spend ThankYou Points?

  While Citi allows you to redeem ThankYou Points for statement credits, cash rewards or with its Shop with Points program, the best way to spend ThankYou Points is generally to transfer them to one of Citi's several travel partner programs. Redeeming points for travel is the best way to maximize the value of your ThankYou Points.